Mike Wilkie
2009-04-23 03:54:14 UTC
Hello Roger,
Sorry for the delay. The html version has been uploaded to the test folder and can be accessed via the link below. Thank you
http://tinyurl.com/dhw93p
Best Regards,
Mike Wilkie
OUTDOOR RESEARCH HIGHPOINT CAP
TEST SERIES BY MIKE WILKIE
LTR
April 21, 2009
TESTER INFORMATION
NAME: Mike Wilkie
EMAIL: foreverwild1885 at yahoo dot com
AGE: 32
LOCATION: Davenport, New York (USA)
GENDER: M
HEIGHT: 5' 8" (1.73 m)
WEIGHT: 148 lb (67.10 kg)
Hiking for me started at an early age, as I was always an avid camper and as a young Scout my backpacking obsession began. Living in the Catskill Region backpacking has become serious for me over the years. I hike, snowshoe, canoe, snowboard or multi-day backpack through the Catskills or Adirondacks almost every weekend. I am learning and practicing safe lightweight techniques and have greatly reduced my pack weight, adding comfort and miles to my adventures. Being an aspirant of the Catskill-3500 Club and Adirondack-46ers, peak-bagging is my main outdoor activity. My long-term goals are to complete long distance thru-hikes.
LONG-TERM REPORT
LONG-TERM TEST LOCATIONS AND CONDITIONS
The OR Highpoint Cap was used and tested in the following locations and conditions.
South Hill State Forest - 3 mile (4.83 km) Bushwhack
Weather: Windy with some sun, temperature was 33 F (0.56 C)
Elevation: 2000 F (610 m)
Difficulty: Easy to Moderate on mostly level terrain. Some dense brush increased difficulty to moderate.
South Hill State Forest - 3.5 mile (5.64 km) Loop hike on old logging road.
Weather: 38 F (3.33 C) with light rain
Elevation: 2000 F (610 m)
Difficulty: Easy on an old logging road
The Highpoint Cap was used and tested on several snowshoe hikes in the forest behind my home. This is a 2 mile (3.22 km) bushwhack, mostly on an uphill/downhill, rocky terrain and is a moderate ascent to an elevation of 2000 ft (610 m). I have logged 2 days for this trek. Snowshoes were worn for all of these hikes.
The Highpoint Cap was used about ten times while working on my goat farm. Conditions varied a bit with a few cold days early on. A few days had some snow and a few had some freezing rain or rain. However, most days offered mild temperatures above freezing. The farm location has an elevation of 1375 ft (419 m).
During my nightly dog walks, the Highpoint Cap provided adequate insulation. This trek with the dog is a short 0.5 mile (0.81 km) on a mostly uphill/downhill terrain. The cap was worn for eight of these nightly walks with the dog.
I have accumulated a total of 22 days of using and testing the OR Highpoint Cap during this final leg of the test series. The cap was used on 4 day hikes, 8 nightly dog walks and 10 days when working on the farm.
PERFORMANCE IN THE FIELD
During this final leg of the test series, temperatures have and are still slowly increasing to spring weather conditions. With my experience testing the Highpoint Cap I actually preferred wearing it in these milder temperatures. In addition, as the Highpoint did not provide adequate insulation in temperatures below freezing as stated in my Field Report, the cap for me proved to be more compatible to these milder just above freezing temperatures.
The OR Highpoint Cap performed well during field use as it provided me with comfort and protection. It has proven to be durable, lightweight and comfortable. It offered my head protection from the elements with its water-resistant shell and comfort with its fleece lining. The cap took up little space when stowed as it proved to be highly compressible with its folding brim. During this final leg the Highpoint Cap provided me with adequate insulation for my head to retain, the warmth needed in these just above freezing temperatures and spring weather conditions.
As of no real concern to me, the style of the cap can be a bit improved. However, as the cap does perform well and offers good function in the field...who cares how it looks? Besides, my wife made me promise not wear it in public when we are together.
Now that the spring temperatures are rolling in and temperatures are staying above freezing, I seem to be using the Highpoint Cap more often. I believe the hat is more compatible to these milder temperatures. However, the cap was a bit too warm during high exertion activity.
I needed to wash the cap during this leg and the hat held up well during the washing machines normal cycle. I opted to hang dry the cap and once again it was smelling fresh and clean. It did tighten up a bit but quickly stretched back to normal after a few hours of use.
The cinch cord still operates and performs as it did when new. All stitching and seams are tight and overall construction of the cap still appears to be strong and intact. The visor still has it original shape and the earflap magnets are still magnetized as strong as they were when I received the hat.
I did have some issues keeping the earflaps in the folded up position. In order for the magnets to hold the earflaps up they need to be placed exactly even over the connecting magnet. To accomplish this I needed to stop moving, remove my gloves and at times remove the cap from my head. I would be nice if the magnetism was a bit stronger so the flaps would remain in the up position if only partial of the magnets were connected. Sometimes I like to complete such tasks when on the go and not having to slow down or without a fuss.
SUMMARY
I have accumulated much experience with the OR Highpoint Cap over these last few months. And through this experience, I have become fond of the cap during this final leg. During all use and testing the Highpoint has proven to be worthy in the field offering comfort and protection from the elements.
The Highpoint Cap has proven to be quite comfortable and offered features to protect my head from the elements while never inhibiting my performance in the field. The Highpoints style and design forced me to use the cap in the backcountry were front country use was prohibited. However the caps overall performance and features proved valuable for backcountry use. The Highpoint will remain on my winter gear list for future use.
Pros
Comfort
Adjustable cinch cuff
Folding brim
Water-resistance
Cons
Magnets can have stronger magnetism
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
------------------------------------
Sorry for the delay. The html version has been uploaded to the test folder and can be accessed via the link below. Thank you
http://tinyurl.com/dhw93p
Best Regards,
Mike Wilkie
OUTDOOR RESEARCH HIGHPOINT CAP
TEST SERIES BY MIKE WILKIE
LTR
April 21, 2009
TESTER INFORMATION
NAME: Mike Wilkie
EMAIL: foreverwild1885 at yahoo dot com
AGE: 32
LOCATION: Davenport, New York (USA)
GENDER: M
HEIGHT: 5' 8" (1.73 m)
WEIGHT: 148 lb (67.10 kg)
Hiking for me started at an early age, as I was always an avid camper and as a young Scout my backpacking obsession began. Living in the Catskill Region backpacking has become serious for me over the years. I hike, snowshoe, canoe, snowboard or multi-day backpack through the Catskills or Adirondacks almost every weekend. I am learning and practicing safe lightweight techniques and have greatly reduced my pack weight, adding comfort and miles to my adventures. Being an aspirant of the Catskill-3500 Club and Adirondack-46ers, peak-bagging is my main outdoor activity. My long-term goals are to complete long distance thru-hikes.
LONG-TERM REPORT
LONG-TERM TEST LOCATIONS AND CONDITIONS
The OR Highpoint Cap was used and tested in the following locations and conditions.
South Hill State Forest - 3 mile (4.83 km) Bushwhack
Weather: Windy with some sun, temperature was 33 F (0.56 C)
Elevation: 2000 F (610 m)
Difficulty: Easy to Moderate on mostly level terrain. Some dense brush increased difficulty to moderate.
South Hill State Forest - 3.5 mile (5.64 km) Loop hike on old logging road.
Weather: 38 F (3.33 C) with light rain
Elevation: 2000 F (610 m)
Difficulty: Easy on an old logging road
The Highpoint Cap was used and tested on several snowshoe hikes in the forest behind my home. This is a 2 mile (3.22 km) bushwhack, mostly on an uphill/downhill, rocky terrain and is a moderate ascent to an elevation of 2000 ft (610 m). I have logged 2 days for this trek. Snowshoes were worn for all of these hikes.
The Highpoint Cap was used about ten times while working on my goat farm. Conditions varied a bit with a few cold days early on. A few days had some snow and a few had some freezing rain or rain. However, most days offered mild temperatures above freezing. The farm location has an elevation of 1375 ft (419 m).
During my nightly dog walks, the Highpoint Cap provided adequate insulation. This trek with the dog is a short 0.5 mile (0.81 km) on a mostly uphill/downhill terrain. The cap was worn for eight of these nightly walks with the dog.
I have accumulated a total of 22 days of using and testing the OR Highpoint Cap during this final leg of the test series. The cap was used on 4 day hikes, 8 nightly dog walks and 10 days when working on the farm.
PERFORMANCE IN THE FIELD
During this final leg of the test series, temperatures have and are still slowly increasing to spring weather conditions. With my experience testing the Highpoint Cap I actually preferred wearing it in these milder temperatures. In addition, as the Highpoint did not provide adequate insulation in temperatures below freezing as stated in my Field Report, the cap for me proved to be more compatible to these milder just above freezing temperatures.
The OR Highpoint Cap performed well during field use as it provided me with comfort and protection. It has proven to be durable, lightweight and comfortable. It offered my head protection from the elements with its water-resistant shell and comfort with its fleece lining. The cap took up little space when stowed as it proved to be highly compressible with its folding brim. During this final leg the Highpoint Cap provided me with adequate insulation for my head to retain, the warmth needed in these just above freezing temperatures and spring weather conditions.
As of no real concern to me, the style of the cap can be a bit improved. However, as the cap does perform well and offers good function in the field...who cares how it looks? Besides, my wife made me promise not wear it in public when we are together.
Now that the spring temperatures are rolling in and temperatures are staying above freezing, I seem to be using the Highpoint Cap more often. I believe the hat is more compatible to these milder temperatures. However, the cap was a bit too warm during high exertion activity.
I needed to wash the cap during this leg and the hat held up well during the washing machines normal cycle. I opted to hang dry the cap and once again it was smelling fresh and clean. It did tighten up a bit but quickly stretched back to normal after a few hours of use.
The cinch cord still operates and performs as it did when new. All stitching and seams are tight and overall construction of the cap still appears to be strong and intact. The visor still has it original shape and the earflap magnets are still magnetized as strong as they were when I received the hat.
I did have some issues keeping the earflaps in the folded up position. In order for the magnets to hold the earflaps up they need to be placed exactly even over the connecting magnet. To accomplish this I needed to stop moving, remove my gloves and at times remove the cap from my head. I would be nice if the magnetism was a bit stronger so the flaps would remain in the up position if only partial of the magnets were connected. Sometimes I like to complete such tasks when on the go and not having to slow down or without a fuss.
SUMMARY
I have accumulated much experience with the OR Highpoint Cap over these last few months. And through this experience, I have become fond of the cap during this final leg. During all use and testing the Highpoint has proven to be worthy in the field offering comfort and protection from the elements.
The Highpoint Cap has proven to be quite comfortable and offered features to protect my head from the elements while never inhibiting my performance in the field. The Highpoints style and design forced me to use the cap in the backcountry were front country use was prohibited. However the caps overall performance and features proved valuable for backcountry use. The Highpoint will remain on my winter gear list for future use.
Pros
Comfort
Adjustable cinch cuff
Folding brim
Water-resistance
Cons
Magnets can have stronger magnetism
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
------------------------------------